Politics

Posts Tagged ‘Politics’

Well Worth Repeating

Posted in Education, Environment, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Agriculture, Carl Sagan, Communications, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Global Civilization, Ignorance, Medicine, Philosophy, Politics, Power, Quotes, Science, Technology, Transportation, Voting on May 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We’ve arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements — transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting, profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.

— Carl Sagan

[Yes, I’ve used this quote before. Somehow, it just feels like an appropriate time to repeat it… — kmab]

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Click here (12 May) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Position, View, Role, Focus

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Writing, tagged Arts, Conscience, Issues, Menace, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Rod Serling, Role, Social Criticism, Writing on November 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The writer’s role is to menace the public’s conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus on the issues of his time.

— Rod Serling

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Click here (5 November) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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2025: Trust But Verify (Early Voting At County Drop Box)

Posted in Pictures, Politics, tagged 2025 Ballot Received, California Secretary Of State, Contra Costa County Elections Board, Drop Box, Election 2025, Images, Politics, Registrar Of Voters on October 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Yes on 50: Signed, sealed, delivered, accepted, and counted!



Thank You to: Contra Costa County Elections Board / Registrar of Voters & California Secretary of State!!! Now let’s get to counting… (and redistricting!)

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Click here (10 October) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Praying For Peace In Gaza

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged A Taste of Armageddon, Captain James T. Kirk, Gaza, Israel, October 7 2023, Peace, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Star Trek, War on September 29, 2025| 2 Comments »

We’re human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it. We can admit that we’re killers, but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! Knowing that we’re not going to kill… today.

— Captain James T. Kirk
From the Star Trek episode: “A Taste of Armageddon”

[I hope that some time soon the leaders of the State of Israel will come to their senses and end the excessive use of force against the people of Gaza. This is no longer self-defense. This is no longer about freeing the remaining (48) hostages or retribution for the innocent (1,200) killed in the October 2023 attack. This is about humanity and inhumanity. Civilization versus anarchy.

The Jewish faith is better than this… The people of Israel are better than this. I pray the people tell their government – enough is enough! Find a better way to return the hostages (living and dead) and make peace. — kmab]

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Click here (29 September) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Truth, Power, and the Weight of a Slide Show

Posted in Education, Environment, General Comments, Movie Review, Movies, Politics, Reviews, Science and Learning, tagged Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth (2006) — movie review, Billy West, CO₂, Documentary, Education, Environment, Former President George W. Bush, Former President Ronald Reagan, General Comments, Global Warming, Highly Recommended Movie, Jacques Cousteau, Movie Reviews, Politics, Reviews, Science on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“An Inconvenient Truth” (2006) — movie review
Today’s review is for the environmental documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” (2006), featuring Al Gore as himself (former U.S. Vice President turned climate advocate delivering a multimedia presentation on global warming), Billy West (voice-over in select segments), and various political figures including former Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan via archival footage.

Background: This was a re-watch for me (third time), though it’s been years since I first saw it and I last viewed pre-COVID. I bought this as a “bundle” with the sequel – which I have not watched. I remembered the film as a second coming / warning about the destruction of our planet. The first warning was when I was young and watched the Jacques Cousteau specials on TV. Cousteau used to warn that we are destroying the oceans and when we do this we will make Earth uninhabitable for humans on land. I wanted to revisit this film with fresh eyes before viewing the sequel, especially given how climate discourse has evolved (or stalled) since its release and the re-election of the worst President in U.S. history.

Plot Summary: The film follows Al Gore as he travels the globe presenting a meticulously crafted slide show on climate change. Interwoven with charts, graphs, and time-lapse imagery are personal anecdotes — his son’s near-fatal accident, the death of his sister from lung cancer, and his political journey from presidential candidate to environmental crusader. Gore argues that global warming is not a distant threat but a present emergency, and he uses visual evidence to show rising CO₂ levels, melting glaciers, and shifting weather patterns. The film builds toward a moral imperative: we must act, and we must act now.

Is this movie any good? How’s the acting / presentation? How about the filming / FX? Are there any problems? And, did I like the film? Short answers: Yes, exceptional; quietly powerful; stunning cinematography; minor realism quibbles; and yes, I liked it very much.

Any good? Yes. It’s not a traditional documentary — it’s more like a filmed keynote address — but it’s compelling, clear, and (was and remains) surprisingly emotional for me. The film doesn’t just inform; it attempts to persuade.

How’s the acting / performance? Gore isn’t “acting” in the conventional “film” sense, but he’s a surprisingly effective narrator. He’s calm, occasionally wry, and seems deeply committed. His delivery is earnest without being too preachy, and the personal segments add depth to what might have been a dry lecture.

How about the filming / FX? The cinematography is clean and functional. The real star is the slide show itself — animated graphs, satellite imagery, and archival footage are used to powerful effect. The film’s pace feels steady and the transitions between Gore’s presentation and his personal story are well mixed.

Are there any problems? A few. The film simplifies some scientific debates. This has opened it up for criticism from climate skeptics. Also, there’s a little too much self-mythologizing as the former VP seems to imply he did a lot more about raising awareness while he was in office (Senate and VP) than I remember. The narrative implies that Gore alone is the torchbearer for climate change, which feels overstated. But these are minor issues in a film that’s trying to wake people up with a bigger message – we are risking the survival of our children and future generations.

Did I enjoy the film? Yes. “Enjoy” might not be the right word — it’s sobering, not entertaining — but I appreciated its clarity and the urgency it tried to convey. It’s definitely a film that should make you think, and then want to act.

Final Recommendation: Highly Recommended — especially for viewers interested in environmental science, political advocacy, or the intersection of data and storytelling. This is a landmark documentary that was meant to shift public awareness. If you’ve ever wondered how a PowerPoint presentation could win an Oscar, this is your answer. The problem is Oscar’s don’t save the planet for humanity. I fear that almost 20 years later, we are too little and too late… (Not for humanity, but for the world as we have experienced it in our lifetimes.)

Final Thought: Watching this again, I was struck by how much has changed — and how much hasn’t. The science has only gotten more dire, but the political will remains elusive. Gore’s message is more urgent than ever. If nothing else, the film reminds us that truth, however inconvenient, demands attention. “Science” and “Nature” don’t care about politics.

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Click here (11 September) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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And The Struggle Continues

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Conformity, Free Expression, Obedience, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Rights, Struggle, Suppression, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas on August 10, 2025| 2 Comments »

The struggle is always between the individual and his sacred right to express himself and the power structure that seeks conformity, suppression, and obedience.

— William O. Douglas
Former Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court

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Click here (10 August) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Discrediting The Prevailing Order

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Abuse Of Power, Dispensation, Eric Hoffer, Grievance, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements on May 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Mass movements do not usually rise until the prevailing order has been discredited. The discrediting is not an automatic result of the blunders and abuses of those in power, but the deliberate work of men of words with a grievance. Where the articulate are absent or without a grievance, the prevailing dispensation, though incompetent and corrupt, may continue in power until it falls and crumbles of itself. On the other hand, a dispensation of undoubted merit and vigor may be swept away if it fails to win the allegiance of the articulate minority.

— Eric Hoffer
From his book: “The True Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements“

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Click here (9 May) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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One Iron Rule…

Posted in Other Blogs, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Dictatorship, Enemy, Human Freedom, Logic, Menace, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Rod Serling, Super-States, The Obsolete Man, The Twilight Zone, Truth on April 30, 2025| 2 Comments »

This is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted the ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advances, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super-states that preceded it – it has one iron rule: Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace.

— Rod Serling
From the TV series: “The Twilight Zone: The Obsolete Man“

Found at one of the blogs I follow: I didn’t have my glasses on….
The link to the specific post is: I didn’t have my glasses on/2025/04/17/The Obsolete Man or copy and paste the link in you browser: https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/2025/04/17/the-obsolete-man/

[Please visit the original site if you have some spare time. — kmab]

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Click here (30 April) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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#47:DonTheFelon’s Administration Will Lead To U.S. Stagnation

Posted in Disclaimer, Economics, Politics, Quotes, tagged #DonTheFelon, A Free Market, American Dynamism Summit, Capitalism, Competition, Depreciation, Disclaimer, Dynamism, Fareed Zakaria, Fareed Zakaria GPS, Fareed's Take, Good Jobs, Higher Profits, Manufacturing, Philosophy, Politics, Protectionism, Quotes, Stagnation, Tax Credits, Trump Administration, Trump’s misguided push for a ‘manufacturing comeback’, Vice-President JD Vance on March 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The hard reality is that services is the fastest growing sector in the world economy, generating higher profits and good jobs.

The effort to revive manufacturing via protectionism is an effort to defy basic economics.

In a free market, people and countries are forced to specialize, moving to those things they can do best.

I quoted JD Vance earlier from a speech he gave at the American Dynamism Summit.

In it he explained that the Trump Administration would use tariffs to protect domestic industries, but he promised them lots of tax breaks and government support to innovate.

But the long history of capitalism tells us that countries and companies don’t innovate because of tax credits and depreciation.

They do so because of competition. That is why markets work. They force efficiency.

If you shield American companies and workers from competition, you will get not dynamism but stagnation.

— Fareed Zakaria
As presented on his TV show: “Fareed Zakaria GPS” (Global Public Square)
The video was found on CNN’s YouTube site – post titled: “Fareed’s Take: Trump’s misguided push for a ‘manufacturing comeback’“
The specific YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDtZLShib2E

Disclaimer: I am making no claim to ownership of this quote / excerpt. I am presenting this quote in support of the view espoused by Mr. Zakaria.

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Click here (24 March) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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And The Truth Will Set You Free

Posted in History, Other Blogs, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged #47DonTheFelon, America First, American Politics, Baltic States, China, David Frum, Economics, Edmund Burke, England, Evil, Former President George W. Bush, Good, History, I Didn't Have My Glasses On, Japan, Lele Saa, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Other Blogs, Pax Americana, Philosophy, Poland, Politics, Quotes, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Russia, SEATO, Slava Ukraini, South Korea, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, Spain, Taiwan, Triumph, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, War on March 1, 2025| 7 Comments »

No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
9:56 AM · Feb 28, 2025

– David Frum
Speechwriter for Former President George W. Bush

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

– Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

– Edmund Burke (generally attributed to)


art credit: Lele Saa (a Spanish illustrator living in England)
The illustration was posted on one of the blog sites I follow: I Didn’t Have My Glasses On
The specific post was: Slava Ukraini
Please visit the original site if you have a few spare moments…

[I find it difficult to express the amount of disgust I have for our current American Presidential administration.

Americans and our former allies (NATO and SEATO) should make NO mistake, BOTH Russia and China are authoritarian nuclear superpowers and are intent on supplanting the United States as the world’s dominant national actor – economically and militarily.

President Trump may or may not be a “puppet” of Russian leader Putin, but Trump is not acting in the long term “best” interests of the United States or our allies. While all three of the superpowers have the ability to destroy the world, none have the ability to unilaterally command the rest of the world’s nations to do their bidding – and, yes, I include the United States under that limitation.

There is no “Pax Americana” without our allies support.

I am opposed to Ukraine signing any mineral treaty with the United States in exchange for “security”. A U.S. guarantee of security is purely an illusion for the Ukranians (and the rest of the “free” world). There can be no U.S. backed guarantee of security for any country as long as we have our current convicted criminal in the Oval Office. Let’s be clear: President Trump is a man without honor and a contract, which is all a treaty is, means less to him than the paper it is written on. Trump has a lifetime history of ignoring his side of any contract and he has been responsible for the failure of many businesses which made the mistake of delivering on their side of a contract before full payment has been made by his companies.

All of the NATO allies should take full account of President Trump’s actions and recognize there is NO Article V, guarantee of mutual support and defense by the United States any longer (now or in the future). When it is possible for an unethical criminal to be elected President of the United States (and then re-elected), all of our allies must assume it will happen again and base their current and on-going security policy free of illusion.

For now, the other NATO countries are fortunate that Ukraine has so weakened Russia over the last three years, that it will take years for Russia to rebuild their conventional forces so that Russia is again a major ground threat to ALL of Europe. The key for a free Europe is to start developing your security forces NOW, not in two years time when Russia completes their rebuild and finally crushes Ukraine or 3-4 years from now or when Russia invades Poland or the Baltic States.

Unfortunately, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have not had an immovable object (like Ukraine) to blunt / spend the buildup of conventional Chinese forces as Ukraine as done to Russia for the benefit of the rest of Europe and the Middle East. So, what was true for NATO is now equally valid for SEATO: you cannot rely on the United States for mutual defense.

Trump’s “America first!” really means “America Alone…” to the rest of the world.

A word to the wise should suffice.

— kmab]

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Click here (1 March) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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#47DonTheFelon Is Both Child And Father

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged #47DonTheFelon, American Politics, Censorship, Children, Fathers, Fear, Ignorance, Laurie Halse Anderson, Politics, Quotes on February 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.

— Laurie Halse Anderson

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Click here (20 February) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Clinging To A Real Rock

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Eric Hoffer, Fanaticism, Life, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Sacrifice, The Fanatic, The True Believer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Worth on February 19, 2025| 2 Comments »

The fanatic is perpetually incomplete and insecure. He cannot generate self-assurance out of his individual resources – out of his rejected self – but finds it only by clinging passionately to whatever support he happens to embrace. This passionate attachment is the essence of his blind devotion and religiosity, and he sees in it the source of all virtue and strength. Though his single-minded dedication is a holding on for dear life, he easily sees himself as the supporter and defender of the holy cause to which he clings. And he is ready to sacrifice his life to demonstrate to himself and others that such indeed is his role. He sacrifices his life to prove his worth.

It goes without saying that the fanatic is convinced that the cause he holds on to is monolithic and eternal – a rock of ages. Still, his sense of security is derived from his passionate attachment and not from the excellence of his cause. The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness and holiness but because of his desperate need for some thing to hold on to. Often, indeed, it is his need for passionate attachment which turns every cause he embraces into a holy cause.

— Eric Hoffer
From his book: “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements“

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Click here (19 February) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Saying No To #47DonTheFelon

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged #47DonTheFelon, Albert Camus, Philosophy, Politics, Questions, Quotes, Rebels on February 12, 2025| 2 Comments »

What is a rebel? A man who says no.

— Albert Camus

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Click here (12 February) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Feeling The Weight, Yet?

Posted in Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Compassion, Crush, Economics, Malcolm X, Penalty, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Society, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Weight on December 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.

― Malcolm X
From: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X“

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Click here (21 December) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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There’ll Be Lots To Criticize Over The Next Four Years

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Country, Criticism, Debate, Philosophy, Politics, President John F. Kennedy, Presidential Administration, Quotes, Republic, Success, Survival on December 8, 2024| 2 Comments »

Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive.

― President John F. Kennedy

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Click here (8 December) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.